Tyler Roman- Toy Design Assignment 04 (Godoy)

So the documentary Objectified brought some really deep and insightful looks into the world of design. The ones that resonated with me the most were that ever item holds a story, the idea of good design, sustainability, and the paradox of evolving design.

The thought that every item, every design holds a story is something I have often experienced, yet never truly realized. There were many times that I would make or adjust something and every time I did so for a reason. Whether it be an incident that sparked my curiosity or a dissatisfaction with some aspect there was always a sense of I could better or I could do similar and upon having this realization and looking around me I see how a similar story could be told for almost every piece of merchandise from food to furniture. Thoughts of: what if you used this kind of oil, or these spices, or this wood, can be seen everywhere and indeed the situation lends itself to imagine the countless stories that were had and even more so when you realize how many of those stories  were completed without producing a complete product like the ones you might see around you.

To think of good design brings me to the topics of evolving design and sustainability. The paradox that exists is one that states that as design evolves it would make sense to produce items with better. cheaper, or more conservative, renewable materials or in ways that are more ergonomic or beneficial to the human race. And yet such products are seldom ever sold for below their predecessor’s price. Instead, such reasons are used to increase the price, essentially putting progress behind a paywall and to me, that itself becomes a question of good design, a question that exists in such large amounts in our world and yet remains largely unthought of and unanswered.

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